Poker is a card game in which players place bets on the strength of their hands. Although the outcome of any hand involves some element of chance, most bets are made voluntarily by players who believe that the bet has positive expected value. These bets are usually based on a combination of probability, psychology and game theory.

The player’s position at the table is a vital part of winning poker. Players who act first get more information about their opponents’ hands and can use this to make more profitable decisions. Additionally, playing in position allows you to control the size of the pot and make cheaper bluffs.

In a poker hand, each player has two personal cards in their pocket and five community cards on the table that they can combine with their own to form a winning hand. This process is called “forming a hand”.

While a strong hand is the goal, it is important to not become overly attached to good starting hands. Even if you have pocket kings on the flop, an ace on the board could spell disaster.

A basic strategy is to be aggressive when it makes sense. However, it is important to balance aggression with making sensible bluffs and playing your strong hands correctly. It is also critical to classify your opponents as one of the four basic poker types (LAG’s, TAG’s, LP Fish and super tight Nits) and exploit these tendencies.